Employer of record in Uganda: fees, NSSF and what to confirm
We may earn a commission when you sign up through some links on this page. Commissions never change our scores or the order of our lists. How we make money.
The employer's cost on top of salary in Uganda is its National Social Security Fund (NSSF) contribution, but we have not yet confirmed the rate from an official source, so this page does not put a percentage on it; what is published is the EOR fee, $199 (Payoneer Workforce Management (formerly Skuad)) to $699 (Oyster) per employee per month, checked October 16, 2026. The rule small US companies miss is registration: since the NSSF (Amendment) Act 2022, every employer must register with the NSSF regardless of how many people it employs, so a single hire is enough to trigger it.
An employer of record in Uganda is a Ugandan company, already registered with the NSSF and the tax authority, that employs your worker on its payroll and pays the statutory contributions, while you direct the work.
- Currency
- UGX
On this page
Uganda's confirmed rules so far
Our Uganda data is thin, and we would rather say so than fill the gaps. One point is confirmed from an official source:
- No small-employer exemption from NSSF. Section 4(b) of the NSSF (Amendment) Act, assented on January 2, 2022 and gazetted on January 7, 2022, makes registration compulsory for every employer irrespective of size. One worker is enough.
Our data also lists monthly payroll as the norm, but that comes from no official source yet.
The legal texts are moving too. The Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII) lists an Employment Act consolidation dated June 5, 2026, which may include recent amendments. We have not read it.
We have not yet confirmed from an official source: the NSSF contribution rate and how it splits between employer and employee, any contribution ceiling, the minimum wage position, annual leave, public holidays, probation, notice, severance or the working week. Ask your EOR for each figure in writing and check it against the NSSF and the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development.
Employment costs and rules in Uganda
| Item | Uganda |
|---|---|
| What the employer pays | NSSF standard contribution (employer rate unconfirmed today; see notes). Since the NSSF (Amendment) Act 2022, every employer must register regardless of number of employees |
| Employee contributions | 5% NSSF (unconfirmed today), plus PAYE and local service tax |
| Minimum wage | No enforced national minimum wage (unconfirmed today) |
| Mandatory bonuses | None statutory |
| Annual leave | 21 working days (7 days per 4 months worked) (Employment Act 2006 s.54, unconfirmed today) |
| Probation | 6 months, extendable by up to 6 more by agreement (Employment Act s.67, unconfirmed today) |
| Notice period | 2 weeks (6 months to 1 year), 1 month (1 to 5 years), 2 months (5 to 10 years), 3 months (over 10 years) (Employment Act s.58, unconfirmed today) |
| Severance | Severance on qualifying termination after 6 months; amount by agreement, otherwise courts commonly use one month's pay per year (Employment Act s.87-89, unconfirmed today) |
| Sample salary used | UGX 146,000,000 per year; exchange rate not confirmed today, chosen at roughly 3,650 UGX per USD |
Checked October 17, 2026. Source type: official for the registration rule only. Sources are listed at the end of this page.
What an EOR charges to employ someone in Uganda
| Provider | EOR fee per employee per month | Deposit | Entity model (provider claim) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payoneer Workforce Management | from $199 | None listed | Claims owned entities across APAC, MEA, Europe and the Americas |
| Pebl | $399 | Not listed | About 90% of employees on Pebl-owned entities |
| Playroll | from $399 | One month's salary per employee, refundable | No clear owned-entity claim |
| Rivermate | $319 to $639 | Not stated | Claims 38 owned entities |
| Multiplier | $459 (annual) or $499 (monthly) | Sized from costs, fees and notice period (method published, no fixed amount) | Claims owned entities in 160+ countries |
| Rippling EOR | Quote only (third-party reference: $499) | Not listed | Claims Rippling entities; no partner mention |
| Deel | $599 | Not stated by Deel | Claims owned entities in 130+ countries |
| Remote | from $599 | Waived for startups; otherwise not stated | Claims 100% owned entities in 90+ countries |
| Atlas | from $599 | Not published | Claims owned entities in 160+ countries |
| Papaya Global | from $650 | Refundable deposit, amount not stated | Uses in-country partners |
| Oyster | $699 | At least one month of total service cost, refundable (per its terms) | Owned entities and partners |
| Globalization Partners (G-P) | Quote only | Not stated | Information page claims 100+ wholly owned entities |
Source: each provider’s pricing page, checked October 16, 2026. Fees are the provider’s charge on top of salary and the employer contributions above. Some providers adjust prices by country.
Budgeting one Uganda hire with the gaps marked
We cannot show a full worked cost for Uganda yet. The NSSF rate is unconfirmed and no official UGX exchange rate was read (the Bank of Uganda site refused automated requests when our research ran). Here is what you can and cannot pin down today.
| Line | Status | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary (about USD 40,000) | set by you | UGX amount depends on the exchange rate |
| NSSF employer contribution | rate not yet confirmed | not priced |
| NSSF registration | confirmed: required for every employer | no fee in our data |
| EOR fee at $599 a month | published list price | $7,188 |
| EOR fee range, $199 (Payoneer WFM) to $699 (Oyster) | published list prices | $2,388 to $8,388 |
Source: NSSF (Amendment) Act 2022 on nssfug.org for the registration rule; EOR fees from the Payoneer WFM (Skuad), Deel, Remote and Oyster pricing pages, checked Oct 16, 2026.
The fee arithmetic is simple: $599 x 12 = $7,188 a year, $199 x 12 = $2,388 and $699 x 12 = $8,388. Pebl and Playroll, at $399, come to $4,788. For the employer contribution, ask each EOR to show the NSSF line as a percentage of gross pay and the shilling amount, then compare. The EOR pricing guide explains the deposit and currency lines you will also see, and the EOR cost index lists countries where we have verified the full cost.
What to ask an EOR before a Uganda hire
- The NSSF rate it charges you, and whether it is on gross pay or basic pay.
- Its NSSF employer number, since registration is compulsory.
- The notice and severance terms it writes into the contract, with the section of the Employment Act it relies on.
- The deposit: Oyster asks for at least one month of total service cost, Playroll one month of salary, and Multiplier sets it from costs, fees and notice periods.
- The exchange rate used to fund a shilling payroll from dollars, and any margin on it.
Which provider for Uganda
Multiplier leads our EOR scores with 79 out of 100; Oyster follows with 64. Check that Uganda is on each provider's country list, and ask whether the Uganda employer is the provider's own entity or a local partner. Multiplier claims its own legal entities in every country; Oyster says it uses owned entities and partners.
Compare them in the EOR ranking and the Oyster, Remote and Deel reviews.
Contractors and your own entity in Uganda
A Ugandan contractor paid by invoice avoids NSSF, but a full-time, single-client role run by your managers can be treated as employment, and the unpaid contributions follow. Project work fits contractor management tools or a contractor of record. A Ugandan company of your own would need its own NSSF registration from the first employee; our EOR versus entity guide covers when that is worth it. Regional comparisons: Kenya and Tanzania.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an employer of record cost in Uganda?
Does a small employer have to register with NSSF in Uganda?
What is the NSSF contribution rate in Uganda?
How often is payroll run in Uganda?
Sources (8)
- Payoneer Workforce Management (formerly Skuad): Skuad pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Pebl: Pebl EOR pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Playroll: Playroll pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Multiplier: Multiplier pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Deel: Deel pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Remote: Remote pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Oyster: Oyster pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- nssfug.org/site/assets/files/1508/thenssfamendmentact2021.pdf (checked October 17, 2026)
This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules and rates change, so check the official source linked above before you file or sign a contract. Read our disclaimer.